Guilty plea in drug overdose death

CLEARWATER, MN (KNSI) - A Clearwater man has entered a guilty plea to third-degree murder after giving another man liquid methadone, which led to his drug overdose death.

Twenty six year-old Carter Ziemke faces up to 74 months in prison when he's sentenced July 27th. Ziemke was accused of providing liquid methadone to Calvin Cox. Ziemke and Cox were staying at a St. Cloud rooming house in early January when Ziemke gave Cox the methadone. Cox drank too much of the drug and died.

An asutopsy showed the cause of death as methadone toxicity. It's a drug used to treat heroin addicts. Ziemke says he was getting it weekly from a local clinic.